The Funny Way Some Pilots Say Hello To Other Planes In The Air

Being a pilot seems like serious business, what with controlling a massive machine full of passengers and all. But that doesn't mean pilots can't have a little fun. Apparently, pilots will often say "hello" to other pilots they pass while flying by blinking landing lights at one another. 

A recently viral video shows a plane flashing its landing lights as it speeds past another plane. This led one curious Redditor to ask if the pilots were greeting one another or if it was more of a safety thing. A Reddit user claiming to be a commercial pilot said it's rare, but pilots will use landing lights on specific plane models to greet one another. This was also confirmed by pilots on other Reddit threads with the same question.

A Redditor who claimed to be a commercial pilot explained that some plane models are more likely to use this greeting, like the Boeing 737, which has landing lights on the wing roots and are easy to flick on like a car's headlights. Meanwhile, an Airbus A320 is a bit different, since the lights have to be deployed from under the wing. However, any plane that turns on its landing lights will experience slight drag and a small rumble, he stated, so pilots are not always eager to use this greeting in all situations. 

The video of one plane flashing its lights at another led to a pretty lengthy discussion on Reddit, with many people debating what the meaning behind the lights could mean. While the aforementioned pilot on Reddit claimed it was just a fun and rare greeting, some still wondered if it was a safety precaution. The pilot explained that the two planes are separated by around 1,000 feet, with the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System already monitoring each plane. Flashing lights in this instance likely wouldn't save anybody from a head-on collision given the speeds. Planes travel at an average speed of 160 to 180 miles per hour, so flashing lights that close to another plane would probably not be too effective.

Another Redditor joked that the flashing lights could be a speed camera warning, similar to how cars flash their high beams to warn one another of an upcoming camera — or even a cop. FYI, this is not technically illegal but could get you into trouble in some states. While there are no speed cameras in the sky, of course, other Redditors brought up that there are speed enforcements for planes in certain areas. Commercial planes are required to slow down within specific range of an airport but that doesn't seem to be the reason pilots flash landing lights at one another.